The Syracuse Crunch had contributions all over the ice, and pushed the Providence Bruins to the brink.

Eleven different Crunch players recorded a point and goalie Mike McKenna finished with 33 saves, as Syracuse routed Providence, 7-2, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Onondaga County War Memorial Friday.

The Crunch lead the series 3-1 with a chance to advance to the Calder Cup Finals in Game 5 Saturday in Syracuse.

“We gave a full 60 minutes tonight,” Crunch forward Cory Conacher said. “Obviously, we won the last game, but some of those minutes we didn’t play our best. Tonight we stayed on them. It was 6-2 going into the third period, and one of our best periods was probably the third period. It shows character. We knew how important it was in the third period to stick it to them because we have a game tomorrow night. Hopefully that carries into the game tomorrow night.”

Wow. As noted, this was a game the Bruins absolutely had to have. On paper, they should've been the hungrier team and should've been a considerable test for the Crunch tonight. Am I surprised Syracuse prevailed tonight? Not at all. But I'm a little shocked at how savagely they dismantled Providence under these circumstances. I'd say this proved Syracuse is developing a killer instinct, but that underplays what they accomplished tonight.

Coming into this season the Crunch had the potential to be this kind of team on paper. They had a veteran-laden group with an extreme amount of depth at the forward position. But, with struggles and injuries up top in Tampa Bay, they never really got to gel as a group. Those who stayed behind in Syracuse were plagued with inconsistency, leaving the regular season North Division crown to go all the way down to the final game of the year. And, it wasn't until the very end of the regular season that this group of players got together with the return of a large contingent of quality guys from Tampa Bay.Because of that, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised the longer this team survives and advances in the playoffs the stronger they seem to be getting. They've started to figure out their roles and responsibilities, get used to their lines and pairings, and now they're starting to mow opponents down like a well oiled machine. It's easy to get excited about this club's crescendo toward a possible berth in the Calder Cup Final.

Heading into Game Five on home ice, it's important to stress the importance of being expeditious when opportunities to close out arise. As impressive as Syracuse's depth is at many positions, the fact of the matter the pro hockey playoffs remain, partially, an extended exercise in the art of managing attrition. Syracuse needs to finish this off now. Don't waste energy on having to go back to Providence to try to close this out. Don't let this series extend one minute longer than it has to and risk the stray factor of injuries. Finish this, advance, and prepare to play for the big prize.

The first period showed how good the Syracuse Crunch can be when they play their game.

The final six minutes showed how relentless the Providence Bruins can be.

The Crunch built up a 4-1 lead by the four minute mark of the third period but had to survive a late Bruins flurry, as Syracuse hung on to top Providence, 5-4, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Onondaga County War Memorial Wednesday.

The Crunch lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Friday in Syracuse.

“I thought we played a solid first period. Then we stopped playing in the second and they were all over us. Our goalie was phenomenal in the second period,” Crunch head coach Benoit Groulx said. “Then we came back and played a solid 14 minutes in the third, and then we stopped playing again.

Tournament-host Windsor advanced to the Memorial Cup final with a 4-2 win over OHL champ Erie Wednesday night on the strength of a Jeremiah Addison (Canadiens) hat trick. Taylor Raddysh had a goal for the Otters, scored on a wrist shot through the 5-hole off the left wing. Anthony Cirelli added an assist. Erie, who beat Saint John 12-5 last game, will face the Sea Dogs again in the semifinals for the right to meet Windsor in the Final. Saint John is coming off a 7-0 win over Seattle. Don’t expect another blowout.

Syracuse's dominance on home ice in these playoffs remains in tact. 6-0 thus far on home ice is a serious edge with the next two games in Syracuse. Am I in love with the fact the Crunch allowed Providence to get the false hope goal in the Third Period twice? No, but it's called the false hope goal for a reason. When you stake yourself to a three goal lead in the final frame, it's a death sentence for the opposition seemingly 99.9% of the time, and those odds were reconfirmed again tonight.

At this hour, the directive for Game Four for the Crunch is clear: stomp on the Bruins' playoff throats. A win in Game Four puts them in a 3-1 hole and squarely up against the ropes. The Crunch allowed Toronto to stick around longer than they probably should've in the last round. This round? Finish them.

Boko Imama had a goal and two assists and Callum Booth (Hurricanes) stopped all 31 shots he faced as Saint John stayed alive in the Memorial Cup by eliminating WHL champ Seattle Tuesday night, 7-0. The Sea Dogs exploded for six goals in the second period – five in just over three minutes – to advance to the tournament semifinals. Mathieu Joseph was dangerous all night, drawing penalties and throwing hits. His goal came off the weak side when he snapped a rolling puck into the far top corner of the net. Boko’s goal came off a turnover in the high slot when he knocked the puck carrier off the puck, spun, and snapped his shot by the goalie in one motion. He had an assist on Joseph’s goal by starting the rush through the neutral zone. Saint John will play the loser of Wednesday’s Erie-Windsor match-up. The winner of Wednesday’s game gets a bye to the finals.

OHL champ Erie crushed the Sea Dogs Monday night in a game featuring five Lightning prospects. Mathieu Joseph had a strong first shift, hitting the post and knocking an Otter flying with a hard hit, but it was all downhill from there for Saint John. Taylor Raddysh scored his first of the game off a pass from Anthony Cirelli on the game’s second shift and Erie would never look back. Raddysh was temporarily tied for the Memorial Cup record for points in a game with six before his teammate Dylan Strome (Coyotes) scored his fourth goal and seventh point. Cirelli and Raddysh were strong on and off the puck all night and Erie was simply too fast and skilled for Saint John. Joseph showed good jump all night, earning a penalty shot, but he was unable to convert the opportunity. Imama wasn’t overly visible in the game. Stay-at-home defenseman Erik Cernak was solid on defense for Erie and contributed an assist. Erie will play Windsor Tuesday with the winner advancing to the championship game. The loser of that game will play the winner of Seattle-Saint John in the semifinals. Despite the Sea Dogs’ 0-2 start, they can still get to the finals.

Mixed emotions from this opening two game set in Providence. The Crunch accomplished what they needed to by wrestling home ice away from the Bruins and they came within an eyelash of grabbing the series by the throat tonight in an airtight Game Two. Rationally, they're in great shape, but momentum may be sitting on Providence's bench heading into an absolutely critical Game Three after an emotional OT victory. Luckily, with such a veteran laden team, I expect Syracuse to have a strong response in Game Three. They need it. That's not a must-win contest, but it's one you desperately want to have.

Chicago prospect Alex DeBrincat had a goal and a helper to lead Erie to a 4-2 win over WHL champ Seattle in the Memorial Cup opener for both teams. The three Lightning prospects on the Otters combined for four assists. Erie plays Saint John on Monday in a match-up featuring five Tampa Bay prospects.

After not playing for more than a month, tournament host Windsor held on for a 3-2 win over QMJHL champion Saint John Friday at the 2017 Memorial Cup. Mathieu Joseph had an assist for Saint John, who next play OHL champ Erie on Monday.